We Need A Summer of Generosity
It’s easier to make the case for helping the homeless when it’s cold, and much harder to engage those who have the means to help during the summer when the beach and other vacation spots beckon. Last week those responsible for winding down the Critical Need Response Fund showed that they understood life does not become any easier for homeless children simply because the sun is shining. They must be commended for the investments they made to support programs that serve homeless children over the summer.
A recent report on homelessness in Charlotte shows a significant increase in numbers of homeless children in CMS in the past few months. As the summer approaches, there has also been a dramatic spike in incidents of student misconduct, much of it directly attributable to the heightened stress of not knowing where their meals are going to come from or where they are going to lay their heads when school is out. While the left-over funds from the Critical Need Response Fund being disbursed to summer programs will help, the extent of the need suggest that our city needs some significant summer generosity…something not less significant than what the Levines did in December. We need significant resources to stabilize the lives of homeless kids over the summer so that they can begin the next school year prepared and full of hope.
Charlotte has done some incredible things in the past six months, including opening up Hall House to homeless kids and their parents. The truth, however, is that we have only rolled the boulder halfway up the hill. While that is significant, we cannot afford to take a break now and return from our vacations, as we have in times past, to start all over again and to face bigger problems in our schools and communities.
I am convinced both by the size of their donation to the Critical Need Response Fund and the other investments they have made to improve our community that the Levines intended to challenge our community to go beyond seasonal (winter) charity and take things to the next level. While it is great to provide funding for summer camps and other supportive services, stabilizing the lives of homeless kids in the summer will require strategic investments such as housing for homeless women and children. This cannot wait until summer is over. It has to begin now.
A recent report on homelessness in Charlotte shows a significant increase in numbers of homeless children in CMS in the past few months. As the summer approaches, there has also been a dramatic spike in incidents of student misconduct, much of it directly attributable to the heightened stress of not knowing where their meals are going to come from or where they are going to lay their heads when school is out. While the left-over funds from the Critical Need Response Fund being disbursed to summer programs will help, the extent of the need suggest that our city needs some significant summer generosity…something not less significant than what the Levines did in December. We need significant resources to stabilize the lives of homeless kids over the summer so that they can begin the next school year prepared and full of hope.
Charlotte has done some incredible things in the past six months, including opening up Hall House to homeless kids and their parents. The truth, however, is that we have only rolled the boulder halfway up the hill. While that is significant, we cannot afford to take a break now and return from our vacations, as we have in times past, to start all over again and to face bigger problems in our schools and communities.
I am convinced both by the size of their donation to the Critical Need Response Fund and the other investments they have made to improve our community that the Levines intended to challenge our community to go beyond seasonal (winter) charity and take things to the next level. While it is great to provide funding for summer camps and other supportive services, stabilizing the lives of homeless kids in the summer will require strategic investments such as housing for homeless women and children. This cannot wait until summer is over. It has to begin now.
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